Menopause marks the end of menstrual cycles and brings hormonal changes that cause hot flashes, sleep disruption, vaginal dryness, bone loss, and cardiovascular risk changes that can persist for years. Treatment options have expanded beyond hormone therapy, and the safety and optimal use of hormones remain active research areas.
What's actually going on in research
Neurokinin B/3 receptor antagonists like fezolinetant offer a non-hormonal approach that directly targets the brain pathway causing hot flashes, with strong clinical trial results now translating to standard use. Research is clarifying which women benefit most from hormone therapy and when to start it — the "timing hypothesis" suggesting early initiation after menopause may carry cardiovascular benefits is being rigorously tested. Ospemifene and vaginal estrogens are being compared for genitourinary syndrome of menopause.
Fezolinetant (NK3 antagonist)
This non-hormonal drug blocks the NK3 receptor in the brain's thermoregulatory center — the root cause of hot flashes — and reduces vasomotor symptoms significantly without hormones.
Hormone therapy timing
Trials are testing whether starting hormone therapy in the early post-menopause window (within 6 years) provides cardiovascular and cognitive protection that is lost if treatment is delayed.
Genitourinary treatment
Low-dose vaginal estrogen, ospemifene (an oral SERM), and intravaginal dehydroepiandrosterone are being compared for long-term relief of vaginal dryness and painful sex.
What to know before you search
Eligibility requires confirmed menopausal status (FSH, time since last period), specific symptom type and severity, and exclusion of contraindications to hormone use.
What types of trials are currently open
- Hot flash trials — Testing non-hormonal and hormonal treatments for vasomotor symptoms.
- Hormone therapy trials — Evaluating timing, formulation, and route of hormone therapy on cardiovascular and bone outcomes.
- Genitourinary syndrome trials — Comparing local and systemic treatments for vaginal dryness and urinary symptoms.
- Bone health trials — Testing bone-protective treatments combined with menopause management.
- Cognitive function trials — Studying whether hormone therapy affects memory, mood, and dementia risk.
Recently added Menopause trials
Hydration & Female Life Stages
Female life stages including premenopausal, perimenopausal, postmenopausal, are characterized by changing concentrations and patterns of hormones. The premenopause stage represents the reproductive years with normal menstrual cycles lasting between 21-35 days. The perimenopause stage is the beginning of the menopause transition and can last up to 10 years. During this transition, menstrual cycles become longer and irregular in length (7 days or longer). After 12 consecutive months with no period, the transition is complete into the postmenopause stage. Hormones that change across the lifespan are known to influence systems that regulate thirst, fluid balance, and sodium balance. Yet, fluid balance across life stages remains poorly understood, with no direct comparisons across all three life stages. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of female life stage on rehydration with water and electrolyte solution after overnight fast and fluid restriction
Significance of Estrogen Status for Muscle Function, Physical Fitness, and Physiological Health Parameters - a Comparison of Age-matched Groups of Women Before and After Menopause.
As females age and transition through menopause, the decline in oestrogen level profoundly affects skeletal muscle mass and function. HER-MUSCLE aims to unravel the differences in pre and post menopausal women, in regards to muscle size, strength and function. Focusing on postmenopausal females, an increasingly at-risk demographic, HER-MUSCLE addresses a critical gap in understanding how oestrogen influences muscle mass and function. The project involves: 1. Molecular Analysis: Advanced techniques will study the muscle microenvironment, focusing on muscle stem cells (MuSCs), fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs), and other cells critical for muscle regeneration and maintenance. 2. Mitochondrial Function assessed in vivo via magnetic resonance spectroscopy: The impact of oestrogen on mitochondrial health will be examined, exploring how it preserves mitochondrial function and ability to recovery and resist fatigue in response to muscle contractions. Our preliminary data indicate that oestrogen can promote muscle protein synthesis. HER-MUSCLE aims to pave the way for novel therapeutic strategies to manage sarcopenia in postmenopausal women, ultimately leading to better health outcomes and enhanced well-being for this growing population segment.
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